Year 12 Claires Court student Ayshmi took part in the cult TV game show Countdown recently competing against eight times champion, and Fellow at Warwick University, Dan Hall. Sixteen year old Ashymit was eager to challenge himself due to his love of maths and applied to the show back in 2021. The interview was as tough as the show itself; the application process included interviews for screen presence as well as in depth questions in both maths and English which he passed with flying colours.
Ayshmit, currently studying A level Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Physics, has been a Claires Court student since Year 7. His Head of Year 10 and maths teacher, Mr Young, was influential in motivating him to apply to the show. Ayshmit remembered fondly the fact that Mr Young would pose a Countdown style question to the class at the start of each lesson thus encouraging both healthy competition as well as stretching knowledge.
Mr Young commented: “My intention was to get the students thinking through problems quickly and with logic. Ayshmit really enjoyed these and was able to answer them exceptionally quickly, often slowing himself down to give others a chance!”
Ayshmit had only one month to prepare for the appearance and during this time had to balance preparation for the show, revision for A Level mock exams, and Taekwondo training.
Everyone involved was extremely impressed with Ayshmits level of knowledge at such a young age and he really excelled during the maths challenges. When asked about the experience Ayshmit said: “At home it seems so simple, but when the clock is ticking so loudly, it’s hard not to let the pressure get to you. It was an amazing experience.” Ayshmit is eager to compete in future, with hopes to one day feature on The Chase and other quiz shows.
You can watch Ayshmits episode of Countdown, here: http://schl.cc/ea
